Virology
TWiV 436: Virology above Cayuga’s waters
By Vincent Racaniello | | This Week in Virology
At Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Vincent speaks with Susan, Colin, and Gary about the work of their laboratories on parvoviruses, influenza viruses, and coronaviruses that infect dogs, cats, horses and other mammals. You can find TWiV #436 at microbe.tv/twiv, or listen below. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 436 (71 MB .mp3, 98 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV!
Forget the fourth domain of life
By Vincent Racaniello | | Basic virology, Commentary, Information
When giant viruses were discovered – with genomes much larger than any previously seen – some suggested that they had descended from a fourth domain of life (the current three are bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes). Part of the reason for such a claim was the finding of homologs of bacterial and eukaryotic genes, including molecules involved …
TWiV 435: Two virus particles walk into a cell
By Vincent Racaniello | | This Week in Virology
The TWiVome discuss the blood virome of 8,420 humans, and thoroughly geek out on a paper about the number of parental viruses in a plaque. You can find TWiV #435 at microbe.tv/twiv, or listen below. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 435 (73 MB .mp3, 121 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV!
The purity of plaques
By Vincent Racaniello | | Basic virology, Information
The plaque assay – my favorite assay in the world – is a time-honored procedure to determine the number of viruses in a sample, and to establish clonal virus stocks. The linear relationship between the number of infectious particles and the plaque count (illustrated; image credit) shows that one infectious particle is sufficient to initiate infection. Despite the …
TWiV 434: Live long and pupate
By Vincent Racaniello | | This Week in Virology
The esteemed TWiVumvirate reveal the discovery of a new negative stranded RNA virus of wasps that regulates longevity and sex ratio of its parasitoid host. You can find TWiV #434 at microbe.tv/twiv, or listen below. Click arrow to play Download TWiV 434 (64 MB .mp3, 106 min) Subscribe (free): iTunes, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV!
The viruses in your blood
By Vincent Racaniello | | Basic virology, Information
If you have ever received a blood transfusion, along with the red blood cells, leukocytes, plasma and other components, you also were infused with a collection of viruses. A recent study of the blood virome of over 8,000 healthy individuals revealed 19 different DNA viruses in 42% of the subjects. Viral DNA sequences were identified among the genome …
David Tuller
Trial By Error: Norway’s Problematic Draft Guideline Combining Long-Term Fatigue and ME/CFS
By David Tuller, DrPH On February 4th, the Norwegian Directorate of Health published a draft of a “national professional guideline” for diagnosis, management and treatment of “long-term fatigue—including ME/CFS.” A consultation period for the draft lasts for three months. All comments must be received by May 4th. The draft is intended to replace a 2015 …
Trial By Error: Recent Readings–Another Severe Case, per The Times; Guardian’s Take on “Brain Retraining”; Boston Globe’s Long COVID Tale
By David Tuller, DrPH Times coverage of another severe patient On February 15th, The Times covered the case of yet another patient with severe illness. The article, by health editor Eleanor Hayward, bore the headline “My body can take no more, says ME patient starving in hospital.” The subhead: “Campaigners say the suffering of Savannah …
Trial By Error: Interview with Jonathan Edwards about “Therapy Guide” from British Association of Clinicians in ME/CFS
By David Tuller, DrPH The British Association of Clinicians in ME/CFS, known as BACME, defines itself as “a multidisciplinary organisation providing information, resources, education and networking opportunities to UK professionals to deliver high quality care” to people with the illness. Its members include psychotherapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, physicians, and others involved in delivering services to patients. …
Trial By Error: More on the Controversy over Invisible Illness
By David Tuller, DrPH Emily Mendenhall’s new book, Invisible Illness: A History from Hysteria to Long COVID, has caused a bit of an uproar in some circles. Mendenhall, a medical anthropologist at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., covers a range of what she calls “complex chronic illnesses,” including ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, and so on. …
Trial By Error: More on the Controversy over Invisible Illness Read More »
Trial By Error: Some Things I’ve Read Recently…Maryland Boosts LC Research, van der Zee on CBT, Thoughts on Hope and Chronic Illness
By David Tuller, DrPH My rib injury sidelined me for a month. Now that I’m mostly better, I’ve been trying to get back up to speed and catch up with lots of lots of reading (and some viewing). Here are a few items that caught my eye. Maryland seeks to boost Long COVID research, per …
Trial By Error: New Medical Anthropology Book on Chronic Illness Triggers Controversy
By David Tuller, DrPH While I was on medical leave for the last few weeks, the fascist regime’s brownshirts executed two people protesting the military occupation of Minneapolis. (It seems important to make that point before anything else.) Of course, other stuff has been happening too. In the domain of common interest here, a new …
Trial By Error: New Medical Anthropology Book on Chronic Illness Triggers Controversy Read More »